Pasta With Eggs / Pasta all'Uovo / Pasta Dough

I have nevee been for a Cooking or a Baking lesson. I always think maybe I should gor for a lesson to learn something new, but them I say to myself, all this years I have been cooking and baking without going for a lesson ( ofcourse I do have a large collection of cooking and baking books)
But then in last November, in the cutlural center in my town ( we call that as there are halls for concerts, for dancing lessons, a good library, they give lessons and talks about different subjects) and every year we get a fat book with all the things they are doing in the year. So when I saw they were giving a Master Class in Pasta, I said to hans I might go and join in , hans ofcourse was delighted, he loves when I do all these things as he say if you want to do something do it hen regretting later that you didn't get a chance or tme to do.
So I went early to book my place as they only have 14 places.
And i had such a good time, it was a 4 hour course in the evening and I had so much fun there making pasta from the scratch and we did 8 different dishes and we also ate all 8 dishes and I came back home after 11 in the evening complaining to Hans how stuffed I am :-)

So as a New years gift I got a pasta making machine for my Kitchen.

And I have been hooked, I have been trying fresh pastas , ravioli etc....and I am just loving it well we all are loving it .
I must say I love dry pasta as I have been eating them for the last 22 years ( had my first pasta when I came here) and I am sure I will still use dry pasta in my kitchen a lot.
But have to say nothing can match the delicious taste of frshly made pasta it is just so so good.

Fresh pasta is usually locally made with fresh ingredients.
 Fresh pasta is usually made with a mixture of eggs and all-purpose flour or “00” high gluten flour. Since it contains eggs, it is more tender compared to dried pasta and only takes about half the time to cook.
 Delicate sauces are preferred for fresh pasta in order to let the pasta take front stage.

 Fresh pastas do not expand in size after cooking; therefore, one and a half pounds of pasta are needed to serve 4 people generously.
 Fresh egg pasta is generally cut into strands of various widths and thicknesses depending on which pasta is to be made (e.g. fettuccine, pappardelle, and lasagne).
It is best served with meat, cheese, or vegetables to create ravioli, tortellini, and cannelloni.
Fresh egg pasta is well known in the Piedmont area near the border of France.
In this area, dough is only made out of egg yolk and flour resulting in a very refined flavour and texture.
This pasta is often served simply with butter sauce and thinly sliced truffles that are native to this region.
In other areas such as Apulia fresh pasta can be made without eggs.



Pasta is a type of noodle and is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating to 1154.
 It is also commonly used to refer to the variety of pasta dishes.
Typically pasta is made from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked and served in any number of dishes. It can be made with flour from other cereals or grains, and eggs may be used instead of water. Pastas may be divided into two broad categories, dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca). Chicken eggs frequently dominate as the source of the liquid component in fresh pasta.
Fresh pasta was traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines,

Since the time of Cato, basic pasta dough has been made mostly of wheat flour or semolina, with durum wheat used predominantely in the South of Italy and soft wheat in the North.



Ingridients.
300 gm Italian pasta flour 00
3 eggs
1 tsp of salt

Add the flour into a working table, with your hands make a well in the middle, add the eggs, and salt.
I use a fork to mix the egg and flour in the begning, Make cirlce movements, till almost all the egg mixture is mixes and then use your hand to make a dough.
You do have to use a little muscle power to make the dough, till you get a smooth dough.
Keep the doung covered in a plastic wraper and rest it to half hour.
After half hour the dough is ready to make what ever pasta shape you want to make.

Use the abpove dough for making fresh pasta, just read your manual in your pasta machine.
You should start from the highest number ( my pasta machine has 6 numbers) .
You cut a portion from the dough, make it flat and square shape ( spinrinkle with some flour) and trun them through the roller in your machine in the highest number you got.
Fold this dough which is comming out flat in two and roll them again with the second highest number. Don't forget to sprinkle with a bit of flour each time.
Fold the dough again and do the same.
After this you don't have to gold them just roll the dough in the next number and then the next till you get to the number one and roll for the last time.
Hang the pasta ( I use a cloth hanger) and while this is drying repeat the smae method with the rest of the pasta dough.
Now when all the dough is done, you are ready to cut into what ever shape you want. Start cutting the dough which you made first.

Cut the dough , sprinkle with some flour and leave it to fry for some 10 minutes and then they are ready to use for cooking.4

For each 100 gm of pasta flour you have to use 1 whole egg ( I tried to use less eggs and it didn't work) Make sure you use very fresh eggs.
Don't take any shor cuts, if you are making fresh pasta you have to have time making the dough and resting the dough etc...
If you are making fresh pasta you can cut according to the shapes and then keep in a plate sprinkles with pasat flour and cover it well with plastic foil in you kitchen counter and you can use them next say. I tried this and it works perfect , I dont know If it will cork if you keep in the fridge.

Make sure you are back here as I am going to share with you all what I made with this fresh Home Made pasta.